Employment

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that state and local governments added an estimated 22,000 jobs in October 2022. Revisions to previous months' reports added 44,000 state and 10,000 local government jobs to the running total. Overall state and local employment has increased in all but two of the last twelve months. 

Since peaking in February 2020, state and local governments have shed nearly 541,000 jobs, or approximately 2.7 percent of their total.

The BLS identifies approximately 19.5 million employees of state and local government as of October 2022. Local governments, which include most school districts, account for nearly three-quarters of total state and local employment, with state governments accounting for around one-quarter of the total. Overall, state and local employment accounts for approximately 13 percent of the nation's workforce.

The private sector added an estimated 233,000 jobs in October 2022.

The charts below present the relative changes in state and local government and private sector employment since 2007.

Monthly changes in state and local government
and private sector employment, 2007-2022

Monthly changes in state and local government employment, 2007-2022

Compiled by NASRA based on data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data is sourced from the BLS Current Employment Statistics program, which is a monthly survey of households, businesses, and governments measuring employment, hours, and earnings estimates. The CES survey reference period is the pay period that includes the 12th day of the month. Data are published on a preliminary basis and revised twice before being finalized. 

See more: https://www.bls.gov/ces/